"Babies" Movie Examines Prenatal Care Around the World

Will the film be an international hit? CC photo courtesy of JohnAlthouse

PRNewswire

April 28, 2010

NEWYORK, April 28- USNewswire – Babies, a new movie to be released by Focus Features across the country on Friday, May 7, Mother’s Day weekend, simultaneously follows four babies around the world — from birth to first steps. The children are, respectively, in order of on-screen introduction: Ponijao, who lives with her family near Opuwo, Namibia; Bayarjargal, who resides with his family in Mongolia, near Bayanchandmani; Mari, who lives with her family in Tokyo, Japan; and Hattie, who resides with her family in the United States, in San Francisco. Babies joyfully captures on film the earliest stages of the journey of humanity that are at once unique and universal to us all.

“The celebration of babies is a timeless tradition in any culture,” said Dr. Jennifer L. Howse, president of the March of Dimes. “And this film provides a perfect rationale for why the March of Dimes works so hard each and every day to fund research, education and advocacy programs that help give every baby a healthy start in life. We’re the champions for babies, and this movie shows us why they are so important to our lives.”

Babies is a proud supporter of March for Babies, the March of Dimes signature fundraiser that occurs this spring in more than 900 communities all across the United States. This year, more than 7 million people will participate in March for Babies. The event’s fundraising goal is $100 million. Since 1970, it has raised $1.8 billion to support research and other programs in local communities, enabling more moms to have healthy, full-term pregnancies. To find out more about March for Babies, visit marchforbabies.org.

Focus Features CEO James Schamus said, “All of us at Focus could not be more pleased that our film will play a role in support of March for Babies. It’s a perfect match — a movie about the common humanity and love that unite us all, and one of the world’s great charities that works so hard to make sure that every baby can find his or her place in the world.”

The March of Dimes is the leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health. With chapters nationwide and its premier event, March for Babies, the March of Dimes works to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.